Volume IIII, Issue 1
January 5, 2015
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Dear ,
I am so delighted to share this adorable picture book written by
one of my WordPlay students with you at the beginning of this week that the very class that encouraged her to bring her writing dream to life (The Gift of Memoir) begins.
You may or may not be able to take advantage of an open spot in one of the upcoming classes listed below, but regardless, if you've lost heart, or abandoned your own writing dream, I hope Jennifer's success story will inspire you to dust it off and begin anew.
And even if you
don't have any kids eight years old or younger in your life (the target age for Jennifer's book), I hope you'll order a copy -- I included the back cover below so you can get a sense of the story line, but the illustrations combined with the adventures of "Flip" (the main character pictured on the right) are so charming. (And it's on sale right now on Amazon for $5.77! How do they do that?) Flip's perseverance through some very tough times (imagine what perils can endanger
the life of a flip flop!) is heartening. He may be lost, but he never abandons hope.
I'll let you in on a little secret -- when I feel like I've lost or abandoned the better parts of myself, I often turn to a children's book for renewal. There's something about a visit to childhood that infuses me with hope and helps me to pick myself back up and keep going.
Here's to picking up any lost or abandoned dreams of
yours and persevering until you see them to fruition!
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
----------------------------------------------------------------- GIFT OF MEMOIR - starts this Thursday, January
8th!
(Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir) Our life stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us—they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves.
As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested in writing family and/or personal life stories—those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursday mornings, 10 am – noon.
January 8th and 22nd, February 5th and 19th, March 5th and 26th, April 2nd and
23rd
COST: $259 for 8 sessions.
TO REGISTER: To register online, click here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com for details on registering by check via mail. -----------------------------------------------------------------
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Starts January 14th! (Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects.
You’ll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You’ll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process. WEDNESDAY MORNINGS WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Wednesday mornings from 10 am to noon.
January 14th, 21st and 28th, February 4th and 18th, March 4th, 11th and 25th, April 8th, 22nd and 29th, and May 13th.
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: To register online, click here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com for details on registering by check via mail. THURSDAY EVENINGS WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Offered Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm.
January 8th, 22nd and 29th, February 5th and 19th, March 5th, 12th and 26th, April 9th, 23rd and 30th, and May 14th.
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: This class is near capacity. (Class size limited to serve participants.) If you're interested in a spot, email
info@wordplaynow.com for details and availability.
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CHECK OUT THIS UPCOMING OPPORTUNITY, TAUGHT BY WORDPLAY CREATIVE CONSULTANT WENDY GILL*. THE ARTIST'S WAY: A Spiritual Path to Higher
Creativity(Expanding Our Creativity; Creating Joy and Fulfillment in Our Lives) Are you ready to discover the joy of creativity? Using
the proven tools and structure of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, this course will spur your imagination and guide your journey toward creative self-expression.
Our 2-hour sessions include weekly check-ins, hands-on activities, and creativity exercises. The encouragement and support of this small in-person community (what Julia Cameron calls a “creative cluster”) will help you fully
experience the power of The Artist’s Way.
COST: $195 for 13 two-hour sessions over 13 weeks WHERE: Downtown Matthews, NC WHEN: Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM,
January 8 – April 2, 2015
*Wendy H. Gill was a special education teacher for 22 years. One of her greatest joys as an educator was adapting stories, rhymes and songs to engage her students and instill a love of books. She left full-time teaching in 2000 to create a literacy enrichment program for young children. She is currently a writer, producer, and the owner of Professional Communications, a creative video production agency. Her poems and essays have appeared in a variety of regional and national publications.
More WordPlay opportunities here.
WordPlay Success Story
"[Maureen] challenged me to reword, revise, revisit, and sometimes even rewrite. Her help was immeasurable. Two short years later, I have self-published my first children’s picture book, Lost Soles."
Meet Jennifer Larson
Jennifer, a children’s writer living in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and a former middle school and high school English teacher. Jennifer has self-published her
first picture book, Lost Soles, a story about a pair of flip flops, Flip and Flop, that get separated from each other after a day at the beach when Flip flies off the beach cart and gets left behind. Will Flip ever see his “sole mate” again?
The idea for her story stems from her fascination with lone shoes seen on the sides of roads, along the highway, and in other random
places. Jennifer began taking pictures of these lost soles over ten years ago creating a portfolio of sandals, boots, flip flops, heels, and more. She wanted to know their story and how they’d come to rest alone in such odd places. Lost Soles chronicles the journey of one such shoe and imagines life after the separation from a “sole mate.” Jennifer’s book was released in November 2014 and is available on Amazon. Learn more and/or connect with Jennifer here. Currently she is working on two other picture books manuscripts.
What Jennifer says about
WordPlay
After a 14-year teaching career, I stepped away from the classroom to pursue writing, but I had no idea where to begin. One afternoon I searched the web for writing classes in Charlotte when I stumbled across something that caught my eye: Maureen Ryan Griffin’s Wordplay. When I
searched her site, her Gift of Memoir class sounded ideal. The only problem was that the 8-week course was already in progress. Seeing as I had only missed one session, I took a chance and called to see if I could still get a spot. Maureen promptly returned my call and told me that when she heard the excitement in my voice mail, she had a positive feeling and knew the class was for me. Maureen eagerly invited me to join. I was super excited but a bit nervous about writing in front of others. Turns out the intimate smaller group setting and Maureen’s energetic yet calming personality made for a perfect fit. The Gift of Memoir sessions boosted my confidence in my writing ability, which then led me to dust off a children’s picture book idea that I’d been sitting on for quite some time. After class one day, I approached Maureen and asked if she offered editing services for manuscripts,
and as luck would have it, she did. And at the risk of sounding cliché (because I know Maureen loves to weed them out) the rest is history. Over the next year, I worked with Maureen on my manuscript. She challenged me to reword, revise, revisit, and sometimes even rewrite. Her help was immeasurable. Two short years later, I have self-published my first children’s picture book, Lost Soles. Who knew how much of a difference one phone call could make!
Featured Writing
About Lost Soles
(back cover)
by
Jennifer Larson
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt This is WordPlay -- so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week, it's "lost." PROMPT: Write, in any form you like, about a time you (or anyone else, real or imaginary -- like, say, "Flip") were lost.
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MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and two collections of poetry, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife dreams for one another."
Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn -- and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours! |
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